Homily, October 16, 2022
From The Pastor
In today’s gospel, God is not the irreverent, unjust judge intentionally difficult in the face of human concerns. If either character in the gospel is an image of God, it is the persistent widow who tenaciously pleads her cause to gain rightful justice. God is faithful, compassionate, and trustworthy to all who seek him.
Prayer is a communion of love between the believer and the God whom we seek. As an act of trust, we yield to the Lord our deepest desires, needs, and concerns in the hope of God’s provident care. Prayer is built on the understanding and acceptance of our dependence on the Lord and is loving care. On our own, we can do nothing of value without the direction and care of the Divine will. Prayer is not begging. We do not have to shout and scream or shove our needs before the Lord as if in a long line of traffic as we sneak to the front confident we can wiggle in.
Prayer is relationship in our desire to be one with God in the awareness and faith that God seeks to be one with us. This is not, ‘I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.’ Prayer is desire built on faith, trust, and experience of a God who first came to us in the hope of our acceptance of the Divine offer. God does not play hard to get, keep score of debts, or count the long absences between contacts. If you want to practice and learn how to be in relationship or how to be a friend, practice with God. You can tell God anything and he will not repeat it. You can trust God. You can tell God your hurts, losses, fears, and sins. You can talk to God about your dreams and plans, hopes, and desires. God wants to know these things beforehand. Before making plans for anything, ask the Lord for his wisdom and will. Things will always go better with the Lord in the driver’s seat.
This is the case with Moses, Joshua, and the Israelites as they are confronted with war against Amalek. As the Israelites journeyed through the desert to the Promised Land, they are confronted by those who already occupy the land. Notice the first action of Moses. He prays. He will not enter the fray before he has engaged the Lord his God. Further, he instructs Joshua to set his battle plan only after Moses has set himself in prayer.
With staff in hand, Moses raises his arms in prayer to God trusting in the power of Divine providence. The staff is the symbol of his authority and power before the Lord. This is the staff with which he struck the rock that flowed with gushing water, divided the Red Sea, and had previously called forth the seven plagues as the Israelites sought freedom from the Egyptian Pharoah.
In time, Moses grew tired and his arms wavered. Prayer is not always singular. We pray in and with the support of a larger community. Aaron and Hur hold up the arms of Moses that the favor of God remain with them. We all grow tired at times. We need the encouragement of others to help us persevere in prayer and the works of the Christian life. Sometimes we pray for others. Sometimes others pray for us. In times of discouragement or weariness, remembering that others are praying for you is all it takes to feel the grace to persevere. Intercessory prayer is powerful and essential to sustain the Christian life. The angels and saints are constantly praying and praising God on our behalf. Jesus is praying for you even as the Holy Spirit prays in you and carries your prayers to the Father.
The point of the gospel is the perseverance of the widowed woman. She is alone and without an advocate. Still, the judge has a duty to give her a just hearing. Note that the story is directed to the disciples as they travel to Jerusalem with Jesus. He is teaching them the necessity and value of prayer and its persistence. Primary attention should not be given to the judge. Jesus is using an odd little example to accentuate the perseverance needed in prayer. In the end, due to her persistence the woman gains her just due.
Some will say God is too slow in answering our prayer. God’s silence or delay in response is often God’s wisdom. We fail to realize all the things God has to put in place before our prayer can be answered. If our prayer is for another person, perhaps God is waiting for that person to cooperate with his will for them. The lack of a perceptible response does not mean God is not listening. Sometimes God’s answer may be no. If so, another path will be opened.
Prayer is a lifelong endeavor. Like any relationship, our prayer should change as we grow and mature in faith, trust, love for, and response to God’s presence in our lives. Keeping love alive over the long haul can be quite a challenge. Like a long and faithful marriage, prayer will ebb and flow with the rhythms of life and the blessings and challenges of love. Even the deepest love needs regular nourishment and fresh expressions to animate the beloved. The same is true in our relationship with God.
We persist with many things in life to sustain the stability, security, and comforts we seek. Prayer is the most important. Without God as our source of truth in love through life we would soon be lost and aimless on our strength alone. God will never leave us. With prayer, we are assured of his constant and faithful presence.
Father John Esper
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